Personal Household Budgeting Tools, Home Budget Smartphone Apps, And Family Budget Aids Everyone Should Use
Everyone is having to "tighten their belts" these days, and many of us could always use some help in getting the most out of the money we earn. One of the quickest ways to stretch your income is to know exactly where it is going so you can eliminate needless expenses. Knowing your expenses and planning them out through a household budget can make a quick difference in your bottom line. Most of us need at minimum a little help in mapping out a budget to live by. For this reason, I have compiled a list of some great household budgeting tools and home budget apps that can help you get even the most minute expenses in line.
There are some great home budget apps and programs that are easy to use and in many cases are free. Some of these household budgeting tools come in the form of home budgeting software for your computer, and some are personal budgeting apps for your smart phone. Whatever the form, these home budgeting aids can help you get on a budget and get the most out of it!
Get help tracking your expenses. Know where your money is going so you can know where to save. Gain some helpful tips. All of these household budget tools can make a large impact on your bottom line without raiding your wallet, so take advantage of the great help and begin saving today!
Home Budgeting Computer Software
Even though there are many avenues through which to get help, many people still are hesitant to use home budgeting software to help save money. Many are intimidated by the software, fearing they will make mistakes and mess up their personal finances. Others are intimidated by the computer, unsure how to use it, and unwilling to learn how.
These days, with online help constantly at your fingertips, people should take full advantage of any free, reputable software that can help you have more money at the end of the month. Quicken, maker of the most well known money management software available, now offers free online money management through their "Mint" service. With Mint, you can plug in your monthly expenses, income, and intangibles, and track where your money is going. You can also get tips to help with certain trouble areas and alerts when you have overspent in a certain area. It is a great free tool that can help you see where your money is actually going. Mint also has a smartphone app, so your personal budget can go with you!
Some other software solutions to your budget problem include the original Quicken, YNAB (You Need A Budget), and AceMoney. Each of these will help you create a budget, show you where you are spending your money, and give you step by step instructions on how to get more out of your money.
Household Budget Apps For Smartphones
Which Of These Do You Currently Use?
When preparing and adhering to a household budget, every bit of help is great. To maximize the benefits of living within a smart budget, you can utilize some great home budget smartphone apps that have a wide array of uses. On Iphone, you can get apps that can track your budget, like Accounts, Ace Budget, and Home Budget. These home budget apps will track where you are on your budget, help you stay within your budget guidelines, and can even "sync" between two phones so more than one person can work on the same household budget.
You can also use home budget apps like Mint and Personal Assistant that will actually load your information from online accounts so that you can view them easily on your phone. These apps will generally do all of the work for you after you have entered the account information and your household budget parameters. Also take advantage of apps like Debt Tracker Pro, Grocery Gadget, and Money Pass that can help you save money and pay off debt more quickly.
One other type of app that can help you get the most out of your household budgeting app and also make tax time easier is an expense app or a receipt app. These apps can simply keep copies of receipts or they can keep copies of receipts along with a running total of expenses for a given time period. They also can tell you how much you are spending in a particular category, which can help you form a more accurate budget. These along with your budget apps can help you stretch your money past the end of the month.
Other Home Budgeting Tools
As you can see I have added some budgeting tools you can find on Amazon.com. These and other books and software suites can help you get your financial house in order. Along with these, a simple pen and paper can do a world of good. Simply writing out each and every expense can help you see some easy, low-hanging fruit to take care of quickly and give yourself some breathing room in your budget.
Another excellent resource is to listen to the radio programs of financial advisers such as Dave Ramsey. These programs can give some simple advice along with providing an avenue for your to have some specific questions answered.
A spin off from the Dave Ramsey craze has been "debt snowball" calculators. These take your current debt (credit cards, cars, house) and put them in the order from smallest to largest and tell you how long it will take you to pay them off. If you can add an extra amount to pay toward the debt each month, the calculators will show how much time you will save. These are available online as well as on iPhones and other smartphones.
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